1 Presbyterian Church Union of 1875

In 1875, there were four major Presbyterian groups in Canada: the Canada Presbyterian Church, the Free Church of Scotland in Canada, the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of the Maritime Provinces of British North America, and the Presbyterian Church of the Lower Provinces. These groups stretched from the Maritimes to Ontario, and oversaw the spiritual needs of approximately 88,000 Presbyterians in Canada. In 1870, Rev. Dr. William Ormiston (1821-99) and Rev. Dr. John Jenkins (1813-98), former moderators from the Canada Presbyterian Church and the Church of Scotland respectively, encouraged other Presbyterian ministers to consider a union of the four groups based on doctrinal similarities and physical proximity. Committees were appointed to examine the prospect of a union; negotiations were begun in 1871. Despite several theological differences, the union took place in 1875, and the Presbyterian Church in Canada was divided into four Synods: Maritime Provinces, Montreal and Ottawa, Toronto and Kingston, and Hamilton and London. As the Presbyterian community continued to expand, the synods’ boundaries were revised to reflect population growth, and new synods were added in Western and Northern Canada.

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